Sri Vaishnava — observances and vrat guides
Sri Vaishnava practice joins devotion to Vishnu and Sri with temple worship and the teachings of the acharyas. Vaikuntha Ekadashi is especially associated with Vishnu temple celebrations, while other entries remember teachers or particular manifestations of the Lord. Regional Tamil observances and temple schedules should not be reduced to a single north Indian calendar. Food offered as prasadam, recitation and service have their own place beside fasting. A devotee's household tradition determines the details of observance. This collection keeps individual festivals connected to their deity and community context while making their dates easy to locate.
The catalog currently includes 16 distinct entries in this collection. Examples are Ekadashi Vrat (Sri Vaishnava — Bhagavata); Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Mukkoti Ekadashi); Adhyayana Utsavam (Pagal Pathu / Ra Pathu); Ramanuja Jayanti (Sri Ramanujacharya Tirunakshatram); Pavitrotsavam (Pavitra Aarohanam). Their recorded devotional focus includes Sri Maha Vishnu (Narayana) — invoked through the Ashtakshara mantra; Sri Lakshmi seva precedes every Vishnu seva in the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya; Sri Vaikuntha-natha (Lord Narayana); Sri Ranganatha as Namperumal; Sri Ramanujacharya; Sri Venkateswara at Tirumala (and the divya-desam deity at each temple). Follow the individual links below for the full description, calendar dates, mantra and allowed or avoided foods; each link leads to a dedicated observance page rather than a search result.
Calendar dates are references, not a substitute for the observance rules of your chosen city and community. Lunar days can cross civil-date boundaries, and regional practice can change which day is kept. Meal suggestions are optional ideas for an allowed meal, not instructions to eat during a complete fast. Children, pregnant people and anyone with a medical condition should seek appropriate advice before fasting. Compare the linked guides with your family or temple's practice and choose a discipline suited to your health.
All 16 observances in this collection
- Ekadashi Vrat (Sri Vaishnava — Bhagavata) — May 13, 2026
Ekadashi — the eleventh day of each lunar paksha — is the most sacred recurring fast for every Vaishnava sampradaya. Sri Vaishnavas observe Bhagavata (shuddha) Ekadashi: when Dashami-vedha touches the tithi at sunrise, the fast is shifted to Dwadashi (called Suddha Dwadashi Vrat). Both Krishna and Shukla pakshas are observed as a complete grain-free fast, with night-vigil and Divya Prabandham parayanam, and parana on Dwadashi morning at the prescribed time.
- Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Mukkoti Ekadashi) — December 20, 2026
Vaikuntha Ekadashi (Mukkoti Ekadashi in Tamil, Mokshada Ekadashi in Sanskrit) — the holiest day of the Sri Vaishnava year. Margazhi Shukla Ekadashi. The Vaikuntha-Dwaram (Northern Gate) is opened from Brahma-muhurta at every Sri Vaishnava divya-desam. Bhagavad Gita Jayanti also falls on this day. Tirumala alone receives over a million devotees.
- Adhyayana Utsavam (Pagal Pathu / Ra Pathu) — December 10, 2026
Adhyayana Utsavam — the 22-day recitation festival of the entire Divya Prabandham (4000 verses of the 12 Azhwars) before Namperumal at Srirangam, beginning on Vaikuntha Ekadashi. The Pagal Pathu (first 10 days) recites Tiruvaymozhi by daylight; the Ra Pathu (last 10 days) at night. Concludes with Sattumurai when Sri Nammazhwar attains Bhagavan.
- Ramanuja Jayanti (Sri Ramanujacharya Tirunakshatram) — April 22, 2026
Sri Ramanujacharya's appearance day (1017 CE at Sriperumbudur). Falls on Chithirai-Thiruvadirai (Chithirai month, Ardra nakshatra) per the Tamil Sri Vaishnava calendar. Sriperumbudur, his birthplace, hosts the largest sahasrabhishekam. At Srirangam (where his preserved tirumeni is darshanable to this day) and Melukote, day-long abhisheka and Bhashya-parayanam continue from Brahma-muhurta.
- Pavitrotsavam (Pavitra Aarohanam) — August 5, 2026
Pavitrotsavam — the annual three-day Pancharatra-prescribed purification festival at every Sri Vaishnava divya-desam, celebrated in Aadi or Avani (Jul-Aug). The pavitra-malas (sacred multi-threaded garlands of gold, silver, silk, cotton, and pancha-pattu) are placed on the moolavar deity to atone for any inadvertent errors in the year's worship.
- Brahmotsavam (Tirumala / Srirangam) — September 15, 2026
Brahmotsavam — the nine-day annual festival of Sri Venkateswara at Tirumala (typically in Purattasi / Ashvin), and parallel celebrations at Srirangam, Kanchipuram, Melukote, and other major divya-desams. The deity is taken on nine different vahanas through the temple streets. Garuda Sevai (day 5) is the most attended single procession, drawing over half a million devotees.
- Andal Tirunakshatram (Aadi Pooram) — August 1, 2026
Andal Tirunakshatram (Aadi Pooram) — the appearance day of Sri Andal at Srivilliputhur, the only female Azhwar. Tamil month Aadi + Purvaphalguni (Pooram) nakshatra. Held with massive grandeur at Srivilliputhur (her birthplace, where the temple's gopuram is the Tamil Nadu state emblem) and Srirangam (where she became Sri Ranganatha's bride). Tirukalyana Utsavam — Andal's symbolic marriage to Sri Ranganatha — is performed at every Sri Vaishnava home and divya-desam.
- Nammazhwar Tirunakshatram (Vaikasi Visakam) — May 31, 2026
Nammazhwar Tirunakshatram (Vaikasi Visakam) — the appearance day of Sri Nammazhwar, chief of the 12 Azhwars. Tamil month Vaikasi + Visakha nakshatra. Celebrated at Alwar Tirunagari (his janma-sthala in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu — the central divya-desam of the Nava-Tirupathi cluster). At Srirangam, the Tiruvaymozhi is recited in full from dawn to dusk in the Sri Ranganatha sannidhi.
- Sri Vedanta Desika Tirunakshatram (Purattasi Sravanam) — September 27, 2026
Sri Vedanta Desika Tirunakshatram (Purattasi Sravanam) — the appearance day of Sri Vedanta Desika at Thoopul, Kanchipuram (1268 CE). Tamil month Purattasi + Sravana nakshatra. Celebrated at Thoopul (his birthplace), Thiruvaheendrapuram (where Lakshmi-Hayagriva blessed him), Srirangam, and at every Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava home and mutt — Ahobila Mutt, Andavan Ashramam, Parakala Mutt — with full Hayagriva abhishekam.
- Sri Manavala Mamuni Tirunakshatram (Aippasi Tiruvadirai) — November 3, 2026
Sri Manavala Mamuni Tirunakshatram (Aippasi Tiruvadirai) — the appearance day of Sri Manavala Mamunigal at Alwarthirunagari (1370 CE). Tamil month Aippasi + Ardra (Tiruvadirai) nakshatra. Celebrated at Alwarthirunagari (his birthplace), Srirangam (where Sri Ranganatha sat at his feet as a student), and at every Tenkalai Sri Vaishnava home and mutt with full sahasrabhishekam and Vazhi-Tirunamam recital.
- Sri Nathamuni Tirunakshatram (Aani Anusham) — July 4, 2026
Sri Nathamuni Tirunakshatram (Aani Anusham) — the appearance day of Sri Nathamuni at Veeranarayanapuram (Kattumannarkoil), 824 CE. Tamil month Aani + Anuradha (Anusham) nakshatra. Celebrated at Kattumannarkoil (his janma-sthala) and at every Sri Vaishnava home and mutt — for he is the first acharya of the Guru-Parampara.
- Sri Yamunacharya Tirunakshatram (Aadi Uttiradam) — August 9, 2026
Sri Yamunacharya Tirunakshatram (Aadi Uttiradam) — the appearance day of Sri Yamunacharya (Alavandar). Tamil month Aadi + Uttarashada (Uttiradam) nakshatra. Celebrated at Srirangam (where his preserved tirumeni was darshanable for many centuries) and at every Sri Vaishnava home and mutt with full sahasrabhishekam.
- Panguni Uthiram (Sri Tirukalyana Mahotsavam) — April 2, 2027
Panguni Uthiram (Tirukalyana Mahotsavam) — Tamil month Panguni + Uttara Phalguni nakshatra. The Tirukalyana day at every Sri Vaishnava divya-desam — Sri Ranganatha-Sri Ranganayaki at Srirangam; Sri Andal-Sri Ranganatha at Srivilliputhur; Sri Venkateswara-Sri Padmavati at Tirumala; and so on across all 108 divya-desams. The most auspicious wedding day of the Sri Vaishnava year.
- Garuda Sevai (Tirunangur Eleven Divya-Desams · Thai Amavasai) — February 6, 2027
Garuda Sevai at Tirunangur — Thai Amavasai (Magha Amavasya falling within the Tamil solar month of Thai). 11 Vishnu Perumals from 11 of Tirunangur's divya-desams are simultaneously taken on Garuda vahanas to meet at Sri Naraiyur Nambi Perumal Temple in the centre of the cluster. The largest single-day Garuda Sevai in the Sri Vaishnava world.
- Sri Hayagriva Jayanti (Avani Avittam · Sravana Purnima) — August 28, 2026
Sri Hayagriva Jayanti (Sravana Purnima / Avani Avittam) — the appearance day of Sri Lakshmi-Hayagriva, Vishnu's horse-faced form, restorer of the Vedas. Falls on Sravana Purnima — also Avani Avittam (annual Yajnopavitam-renewal day) and Raksha Bandhan. Celebrated at Thiruvaheendrapuram (where Sri Hayagriva blessed Sri Vedanta Desika), Tirumala, Srirangam, Kanchipuram, and at every Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava home and mutt with full sahasrabhishekam.
- Sri Vamana Jayanti (Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi · Sravana Nakshatra) — September 22, 2026
Sri Vamana Jayanti — the appearance day of Sri Vamana, the dwarf-Brahmin incarnation of Vishnu. Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi under Sravana nakshatra (called Vijaya Dwadashi). Celebrated at Tirukoyilur (the Tiruvikrama divya-desam in Tamil Nadu — where Vamana grew to his cosmic Trivikrama form to measure the three worlds), Sri Vamana Perumal temples across the south, and at every Sri Vaishnava home with three-step naivedya offerings.